San Diego Padres bring back ‘Swingin’ Friar’ for 50th anniversary team logo

It’s 2019 and that sets off a major anniversary for a few Major League Baseball teams. In 1969, 50 years ago, MLB set forth major expansion that helped propel the game to the modern era. The Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots (now Milwaukee Brewers) were added to the American League and the Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals) and San Diego Padres were added to the National League.

These teams are likely doing something for their 50th anniversary special this upcoming season. The Padres revealed their special logos, bringing back a notable figure from their past.

5⃣0⃣ years of #Padres baseball with the #FriarFaithful beside us through it all pic.twitter.com/dBnNpUoYsv

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) January 12, 2019

In the middle of the 50th anniversary logo is Swingin’ Friar, the Padres’ mascot. While Swingin’ Friar has been a part of the Padres all this time, he’s been off the primary team logo since 1984. While the Padres changed the color from its original brown, a blue version of the mascot is shown front and center on the logo. According to SportsLogos.Net, the Padres will also have the same logo in the original brown team color and be worn when the team wears throwback uniforms.

“We’re currently in the process of testing logos, uniform combinations and colour schemes via market research, and the Swingin’ Friar logo tested off the charts with our fans”, San Diego Padres Chief Marketing Officer Wayne Patrello told SportsLogos.Net in an email. “They really responded to him, so we modernized and refined the logo to serve as the centrepiece of the fiftieth-anniversary design. The subtle updates are more in line with contemporary embroidery standards.”

Overall, it’s a cool mix of past and present and seems like it’s a popular design among Padres fans. It should be a memorable 50th year in San Diego.

[SportsLogos.Net]

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